Lwin and bassist Lee Gorman are returning from their homes in LA to play their first proper shows since the early 1980s. They will be performing without the help of original drummer Dave Barbe or guitarist Matthew Ashman, who died in 1995. The group's last British appearance was a one-off set in November 2010, when Lwin, Gorman and Barbe appeared at a tribute to Ashman in London.

While Bow Wow Wow have been largely absent from the UK, Lwin and Gorman have played several US concerts in recent years, usually on very small stages. Less than a fortnight ago, Lwin was singing for patrons of Fitzgeralds Irish pub in Huntington Beach, California.

Bow Wow Wow got their start in the early 80s. The instrumentalists were originally the Ants, of "Adam and" fame. But Malcolm McLaren pinched them, tacking on a new singer – Lwin, then 14, who he discovered at a launderette. Over a trio of albums, the band consistently courted controversy – trading on their borrowed Burundi beat, Lwin's teenage sex appeal, and an endorsement of home taping. By the time Lwin was sacked in 1983, Bow Wow Wow had enjoyed five Top 50 singles in the UK, including the US crossover I Want Candy, a cover of a song by the Strangeloves.